Alfa Romeo 4C Spider concept pictures and eyes-on

There was quite the buzz around the Alfa Romeo stand at the Geneva Motor Show. And for good reason: the company was showing off its 4C Spider concept car.

This dinky little car weighs under a tonne and despite being a concept looks to pave the way for the future of the 4C series, due for a range refresh in 2015. So we suspect given another year that the true roadworthy 4C Spider will make its way to the road with some minor tweaks.

Shown off finished in white on its display stand, the 4C Spider didn't have the same sparkle as the 2014 Alfa 4C Coupe also on the stand in our view, but then by cutting out the roof it had a certain pzazz about it. From the front its pointy nose is pronounced, almost like a bird of prey, and yet there's still the apparent Italian design that's signature to the Alfa brand.

Those white-painted panels are paired with some well-placed carbon fibre ones to the top too. Normally we're not big fans of such bodywork showing to excess, but against the white the grey mesh looks really good. And this reinforced body work makes it a tougher chassis overall with only minor weight difference compared to the earlier 4C. Even so it can whip from 0-60mph in just 4.4-seconds. Not bad at all from the 1.75L four-cylinder engine under the hood.

A key chance in this concept car is with the lights. This Alfa Romeo has a certain essence of Porsche about it - a far cry from the scattered circles that were latched onto the front of the 4C Coupe from last year. Makes everything look all the more neat and tidy though.

We're like a rabbit in the headlights when staring head-on at this little sports car. We hope it drives as well as it dazzles the eyes from some of its other more fetching angles.